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Stupidity cannot be cured with money, or through education, or by legislation. Stupidity is not a sin, the victim can't help being stupid. But stupidity is the only universal capital crime; the sentence is death, there is no appeal, and execution is carried out automatically and without pity.

Courage is the complement of fear. A man who is fearless cannot be courageous. (He is also a fool.)

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Tuesday, November 11, 2003

Reloaded is a text by Tara McPherson discussing the use of the Internet as a medium for media and more specifically corporate control. She discusses how corporations are considering ways to make the Internet another realm where they can offer a TV substitute with limited interaction. If any such site exists now and is making money it won't last in the long run. In fact most sites on the internet are not going to make it in the long run. This is one of the basics of the medium. The internet is dynamic, it will not change with the times, the times change with it. The amazing power that the internet commands over our lifes now is only a foreshadowing for the future.
She also discusses how the medium presents the viewer with the concept of passing time. There is more to the popularity than what she elaborates on. A user can also create... and even an average person can become an enigma, phenomena, etc. Several very successful websites are made by ordinary people. One such site is a simple video made in flash about the end of the world. The video itself didn't take long to make... but for a short period it was one of the most viewed peices of the internet comedy culture. It has since then slipped into obscurity. This constant flow which she relates to time is more closely related to the constant flow of users new creations and societys preference for what they wish to view.

Sunday, November 02, 2003

In Camera Lucida, the author Roland Barthes discusses photoragphy as a medium. Unlike previous readings this text takes a more concentrated look on the roles of people involved in a picture. He mentions the three ways a person can be connected to a photograph. A person can be the subject of a photograph or a person can observe a photograph. Barthes relates his experiences as both of these postions, however he states that he has no knowledge as the person taking the photograph. I found it interesting to consider a person who does not understand the role of a photographer.

Another interesting topic Bathes mentions is the discovery of a picture of his mother. When he looks at the older pictures of his mother he realizes he did'nt know her. Of course he knew her when he was writing, but he starts to think about who she used to be and how he did'nt know the woman in the photograph. I have never thought of old photographs in this aspect. Whenever I've looked at older pictures of people who I know it's just not a thought that crossed my mind. I think this was a good text to show that there are always new ways to consider what we take for granted.